


Pouring from an Empty Cup

by janetcarter



Category: Earth 2 (TV 1994)
Genre: Crush, F/F, Guilt, Illness, Pre-Relationship, epidemic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:20:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25834882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/janetcarter/pseuds/janetcarter
Summary: Julia works day and night to find a cure when the crew gets sick again. Devon thinks she should rest instead.
Relationships: Devon Adair/Julia Heller
Kudos: 3
Collections: Hurt/Comfort Bingo - Round 11





	Pouring from an Empty Cup

**Author's Note:**

> For the Hurt/Comfort Bingo prompt "Pandemics/Epidemics."

The symptoms were the same. Or, close to it anyway. And even though Julia knew what'd caused the group's last sickness, she had no clue how to fix it without Elisabeth. 

  
It took a few hours of panicking before blood samples revealed the source of the crew's new epidemic to be of organic origin: germs. It was a far better fate than biostat chip malfunctions, but still a cause for concern. Seemingly harmless illnesses could turn deadly if given the right conditions, and without knowing what those conditions were… Julia refused to abandon her microscope.

  
"It's ironic," Alonzo said with his stuffy voice, tossing a rock between his hands and paying no mind to the fact she needed silence. "The Syndrome was because of the station not having germs, right? And now we're here, they're making us sick." 

  
She clenched her teeth. "Yes, that tends to be how germs work."

  
He sneezed and dropped the rock. 

  
Nightfall came too quickly, as it had the previous night and the night before then. Working with lanterns only slowed her down, but any progress was better than none at all. She told herself the same applied when her constant sneezing and coughing got in the way.

  
She barely heard the tent flap crinkle open, but she expected Alonzo to be the one standing behind her. Instead, it was Devon's voice that called her name. As much as she was relieved to avoid having a front-row seat to more of Alonzo's shower thoughts, Devon's presence was far more distracting. 

  
Julia cleared her sore throat. "Devon. How are you feeling?" 

  
"I'm fine," she said in a voice that, despite its rasp, was strong. "Better than I was, actually." 

  
She adjusted the microscope to focus on the pesky organisms causing all this. "I'd like to do another examination, just to be safe."

  
"Listen, Julia, everyone's fine." Devon sighed, placing a hand on her shoulder in a way that made Julia's heart skip a beat. "You need to take a break."

  
Julia shook her head. "Afraid I can't do that. I need to figure this out but with the technology I have available and with the way--"

  
"I'm serious. The rest of us are getting better by the day."

  
She'd noticed more liveliness from the crew the few times she left her tent over the past week, but she was still sneezing, still coughing, still feeling like hell. "If my own symptoms are anything to go by, I need to keep working."

  
"You're only getting worse because you haven't slept," Devon said. Julia didn't have to look to know her arms were folded across her chest. "I don't think I have to remind you how sleep impacts immune response."

  
Julia had flashbacks to Devon's know-it-all attitude in the early days when it came to Uly's condition. "I'm almost there. I just need a little more time." 

  
"It isn't necessary."

  
"We don't know that. Even if it's going away on its own, it doesn't mean it won't come back. It doesn't mean it won't adapt to our antibodies and come back stronger and…" She sneezed before she could finish the thought. 

  
"Julia… I don't know what you feel you need to prove, but you don't need to do this to yourself."

  
"It isn't about me," she mumbled after a sniffle. 

  
"Then what is it about?"

  
Julia finally looked up, but still couldn't face Devon. "You." 

  
"Me?" 

  
"What happened with…" Her chest still tightened just thinking about Devon's collapse, her pale face behind the glass... "When you were sick and I couldn't find a cure. I'm not letting that happen again." Then, to soften the blow of vulnerability, she added: "To you or to anyone." 

  
Devon pulled up a stool beside her. "Believe me, I know what it's like to have enormous responsibility on my shoulders. I'm the one who dragged you all out here in the first place." She paused. It was an odd feeling, being beside Devon: sometimes it made Julia feel invincible, but right now… she felt like the slightest breeze might make her crumble. "But if you don't take care of yourself, how do you expect to take care of anyone else?"

  
Julia was silent. 

  
"I just… I don't want anyone to get hurt." 

  
"What happens if you mess up working on the antidote? But because you've been neglecting your own health, you don't notice?" 

  
"I…" 

  
"If you at least won't rest for yourself, do it for us." And, in a way that made Julia's heart spike, she added: "Do it for me."

  
Disappointing Devon was almost a fate worse than losing her. 

  
Julia took a deep breath and stole one last glance at the samples. "Okay." 

  
"Yeah?" Devon smiled. "Okay, we just have one problem now." 

  
"What?" 

  
"Your bed is right next to your work station." 

  
"You can trust me." 

  
"But it won't be the same as putting it out of your mind for the night. Why don't you bring your cot over to my tent? Uly won't mind the company." 

  
Julia's eyes widened. "Uh…" 

  
"You don't have to if you don't want to. But I'd feel much more comfortable knowing you weren't surrounded by vials all night."

  
"No, I… I think you're right." Even though she didn't want to be away from her supplies, it was hard to pass up the opportunity to fall asleep looking at Devon's face, peaceful in a good way instead of what it once was. 

  
"Great, I'll help you move your things." 

  
Uly was already asleep by the time they got to the tent, and Julia didn't stay awake long either once her head hit the pillow. Devon was, unfortunately, right about how much she needed rest. But just being in Devon's presence, despite the worry over lost time, let her sleep better than she had in a long, long time.


End file.
